New York Marathon cancelled in wake of Sandy

Organisers of the New York City marathon have bowed to pressure and cancelled the annual event in the aftermath of super storm Sandy.

Plans to go ahead with the race had prompted uproar from politicians and residents with parts of the city devastated by the storm which swept up the East coast earlier this week.

With much of New York still without power, Bloomberg admitted he didn't want "a cloud to hang over the race".

"While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear
that it has become the source of controversy and division," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from
the storm and get our city back on track."

It is not yet clear whether the race has been cancelled completely or whether it will be rescheduled.